This was the start of Ruger's "Bond Street" rifles that evolved into the RSM rifles. They were called the Ruger Express Rifle, with the same integrated quarter rib, barrel band, 3-position wing safety, and Circassian Walnut stocks. As I remember, they came in 270, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06, 300 WM and 338. This one is in 270, and is never fired.

Beautiful rifle!

I own a number of these rifles and they were certainly worth the money when they first came out.

And you are correct on the calibers, except they also made a few (VERY few) in 25-06 as well.

Beautiful rifles!

I took my 25-06 & 30-06 Ruger Express' to Namibia in different years. Lots of fun.

I've taken my 338WM Ruger Express to African a couple of times, and I just took my 7mm Ruger Express last year to Zambia (Kasonso Busunga) with Andrew and took a very nice Puku with it.

I seem to use my Dakotas mostly lately, and plan to start taking my AHR rifles next time I go back to Zambia, but I still love those Ruger Express rifles. Great rifles, especially for the money!

Yup , good stuff. Hendershots had one not long ago and I had a good old time giving it the once over.

They are nice-looking rifles and I think they may have come in 9.3x62 as well. Matter of fact I was tempted to get one in that calibre until I read Don Heath's report on Zimbabwe PH-training and went to the range with my mate and his 'new' used CFR Ruger 9.3.

Not wanting him to get a flinch sighting it in, I offered to do it for him, but the first three times I pulled the trigger it failed to fire. A bit of oil on the spring seemed to fix it that day but I would be looking for a stronger, after-market spring, which were available in the US.

The Ruger Express was never made in 9.3 from Ruger, but I know some persons had them bored out to 9.3, and they made for good rebores. Since the largest bore was 338, any of them could have possibly been converted.

I remember them well, nice rifles for sure, The first big bores failed because the barrels were excessively heavy, but they finally changed that and they became more poplar.

The wood was European walnut, but walnut classification is bastardized and has been for ions..Its soft shell and hard shell and the forename is where it was grown for the most part..Circassion is a good name and a selling point, but doubt it came from Circassia, much like today French, does not exist anymore it all turned to furniture..

quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:
The Ruger Express was never made in 9.3 from Ruger, but I know some persons had them bored out to 9.3, and they made for good rebores. Since the largest bore was 338, any of them could have possibly been converted.

Did Ruger make another 77 model with the barrel-band sights and, possibly, quarter rib in 9.3x62? The metalwork on the new 9.3 I saw certainly resembled the one pictured above.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:

quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:
The Ruger Express was never made in 9.3 from Ruger, but I know some persons had them bored out to 9.3, and they made for good rebores. Since the largest bore was 338, any of them could have possibly been converted.

Did Ruger make another 77 model with the barrel-band sights and, possibly, quarter rib in 9.3x62? The metalwork on the new 9.3 I saw certainly resembled the one pictured above.

Ruger made an African in 9.3x62, with a silver bolt and no black for-end tip, but it did have the barrel banded front sight and barrel band sling swivel. It did not have a quarter rib, but rather an island rear sight with one solid white stripe blade. It weighed over 8lbs. Now discontinued.

Recently, this year, Ruger came out with another African (through Lipsey's) with a smaller contour barrel, black bolt like the old Express rifle, black fore-end tip, barrel banded front sight and barrel band sling swivel, and again, an island rear sight. This model weighed just under 8 lbs. Only 250 made.

Only the older Express and the RSM came with the integral quarter rib barrel.

PROPER rifles, made and loved by riflemen!

Unlike the junk made by some deranged Germans!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
PROPER rifles, made and loved by riflemen!

Unlike the junk made by some deranged Germans!

If it does not have a German proof mark it is not a rifle, just some tool

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
Yup , good stuff. Hendershots had one not long ago and I had a good old time giving it the once over.

They had a really nice benchrest 22 RF there a year or so ago too, I was severely tempted. They get what looks like a lot of nice used guns.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Saeed:
“Proper” ?????
Huh?
That oblique front action screw ? Since Ruger dropped it in their American series suddenly they have accurate rifles ! Go figure the inexpensive American out shoots the Old model 77 any day !
As to those very first Waterpipe 416 Rigby’s
Never in my life shot anything so uncomfortable as that rifle !!!

ALF:

Been saying it for years on AR...that angled screw was the worst engineering idea in the history of firearms (maybe a bit of a hyperbole). Writers fell for it (including Jim Carmichel, who is pretty astute) and wrote how it would pull the recoil lug into the bedding, with nary a thought of the bending that would occur if the lug wasn't bearing in the first place. The solution was proper bedding in the first place.

The patent has long since expired but no one has copied this stupid idea.

Getting rid of Wilson barrels also helped a great deal IME.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Saeed:
“Proper” ?????
Huh?
That oblique front action screw ? Since Ruger dropped it in their American series suddenly they have accurate rifles ! Go figure the inexpensive American out shoots the Old model 77 any day !
As to those very first Waterpipe 416 Rigby’s
Never in my life shot anything so uncomfortable as that rifle !!!

ALF,

Anything with a proper turn bolt is fine!

It is all these silly straight pulls are jus an abomination!